AAD Meeting Day 1 Recap

Hi from sunny San Diego, where we just wrapped up day 1 of the AAD meeting! I’m going to try to be better about updating AAD meeting recaps as the meeting happens, so that all of you can stay up to date on the plethora of information and pearls being dispensed at the annual dermatology meeting.

Today was the “Life after Training” symposium for residents and fellows, moderated by Dr. Kavita Mariwalla. We got to hear from experts in the field like Dr. Dirk Elston (dermathopathology legend and author of our favorite textbook! click HERE for my guide for what textbooks you need in derm), Dr. Mona Gohara, Dr. Latanya Benjamin, Dr. April Armstrong, and many more. They shared their tips about navigating careers and lives after residency, from how to start your own practice and manage the workplace environment to contract negotiation and social media management. Here are some of the main takeaways for me:

• Questions to ask your future employer / contract negotiation:
  • Is there a partnership track where you can get equity? What is the buy in process, and how is the buy in price calculated? Does your salary become funneled into the buy in? Will the shares be equal to other physician owners? What are the partnership profits?
  • Are you responsible for overseeing midlevels?
  • Who pays for malpractice insurance?
  • Check tort reform policy in the state you’re practicing in
  • Who pays for tail insurance once you leave a practice?
• Life tips:
  • Mentorship is everything! I’ve written about this before here, but I heard it again today at the symposium: finding a mentor in your field is KEY to your success and will help you so much! And Mona mentioned that mentors do not necessarily have to be much older than you; your peers can be your mentors too. Mentors will be your strongest advocates, help introduce you to interesting opportunities and other leaders in the field, and be a priceless source of advice for many years down the line.
  • Find your passion within dermatology. Mine are in social media and journalism, and that is always evolving. Once you find your niche, explore it, meet others with the same interests, and try to get more involved…which brings me to the next point.
  • GET INVOLVED! I felt inspired after today’s talks to get involved with the AAD and other societies and to give back to this field that I feel very lucky to be in. I encourage all of you to do the same; you never know what opportunities will land in your lap this way.
  • There are many ways to measure success but one is achieving good work life balance. Every speaker echoed this; no amount of money can substitute having a good family and personal life. I completely agree!
• Practice Management Tips
  • Do not get discouraged by bad online reviews. It happens to the best of us. Instead, try to encourage your patients to leave reviews and hopefully the good reviews will drown out the bad ones.
  • Laminate floors are better than carpeting because they’re lower maintenance, easier to clean, and look nice!
  • Find out your best strategy for recruiting patients when you’re starting out. One way is to introduce yourself to all the other specialists in your community so that they can help refer to you. This includes giving grand rounds at the local hospitals to other departments or writing letters or introducing yourself in person at other practices.
  • Always write a letter back to the referring physician so you close the loop.
  • Difficult patients want to be heard and by acknowledging their feelings, you show that you are empathetic, willing to listen, and that you’re on their side.

Looking forward to sharing more tips with you guys throughout the conference!